Electronic Medical Records and Coding Systems

The General Accounting Office of the Information Management and Technology Division reported the need for a standardized coding system due to the frequent use in medical practices of the same term for various ailments; such as describing hepatitis as a liver inflammation (GAC, 8).  “The use of different terms and codes…to indicate the same condition…complicates retrieval and reduces data reliability and consistency.” (GAC, 9)  Coding systems for electronic record keeping differs from coding systems utilized in medical billing primarily because billing code sets are too generalized to offer specific information about a condition or diagnosis (Gartee, 64).  Ideally, information entered into an electronic medical record should be standardized amongst all facilities, no matter the software system or user which is the basis for using a universal system of codes (Bowman).

Friends for Life

I grew up an only child and although it was nice to bask in all of the attention, there was never anyone to take the heat for those sticky situations.  But most importantly, there was never anyone who incessantly had my back, without caution or debate.  The latter was one of the primary reasons I wanted two children, to give them a perpetual shadow of strength, a friend who indubitably would be there through it all.